These AV Composite cables came with my Sony gear from 90's but have been unused in my cable bin most if not all of those years.

NOTE: besides the gold plated vs standard silver plated connectors, the gold cable is also embossed with the Sony name.  The black cables still have the signature Sony hexagon cable grab (and I never bought generic cables).

Gold plated is gold plated.  Silver plated: I haven't done metallurgy testing but being these are decades old and have zero tarnish - and comparing them to some Kenwood cables from the same period that have tarnished - I'm making the educated guess that the silver plated them (pennies in the scheme of manufacturing).